I have not used them myself but inspected one for a friend. It was during our dry season but I was amazed by the amount of condensation which run off. Maybe a design peoblem? or a climatic issue?I only use timber here for the last 35 years and have been happy.

I use polystyrene hives. They don't seem to sweat, and there is less condensation than in the wooden hives I used to use because the walls don't absorb atmospheric moisture - and we had plenty of "atmospheric moisture" last year.

All my hives have open mesh floors and an acrylic crown board which is covered with a thick slab of polystyrene beneath an aluminium roof. They're all on stands about 18 inches high, so well above the ground.

(Sorry if the terms I've used don't match US ones, I hope somebody can translate.)

I am using the TechnosetBee hives that became available a few years ago in Australia, I initially started with just 1 to see how they compared and was happily surprised at how well they are made and how well the bees work with them. The appear to be more cost effective that other three plastic hives currently available in Australia (Hasson, Parker & Nuplas) and the quality is exceptional.

The are available from betterbeehives (com.au) though I have also seen them available on ebay.